They also stressed providing disaster management training to schoolteachers and school children in order to reduce sufferings of people during any disaster.

The workshop titled 'Community Based Disaster Risk Management Project, (CBDRMP) Bangladesh: Lessons Sharing Workshop' organised by Oxfam GB was held at Biam auditorium in the city.

In his speech, Oxfam Programme Officer Shofiul Alam said people know that service providing agencies like hospitals and fire service and civil defence department would deliver services in times of crises, but it should be ensured that such agencies are well prepared to quickly respond to natural disasters.

The government should also ensure compliance with the national building construction code to reduce risk of earthquake in the cities, he said.

Mentioning that rural communities in Bangladesh had shown great resilience in combating floods, they are yet to develop their own risk reduction action plan which suits best to the local needs to reduce flood hazards, he said. Such practice needs strengthening of local government bodies, added Shofiul.

He also underscored the need for proper linking of local communities with the service providing agencies. Accountability and transparency of these agencies should also be ensured, he added.

The organisers, however, said community based risk minimisation approaches do not fit in the urban context as the urban people are loosely connected with one another. Researchers should devise new approaches in this connection, they observed.

Oxfam GB along with its five partner organisations AKK, BDPC, FIVDB, RPDS and SHARP shared views after the completion of their 15-month project that was conducted with financial assistance from Third Disaster Preparedness European Commission Humanitarian Aid (DIPECHO) Action Plan for South Asia.

Organisers said during 15 months' field work in six districts and in Dhaka and Sylhet divisions, they launched awareness campaign in 72 communities and among studnets of 200 schools.

They also formed community preparedness and response task force and trained 56 flood-prone and 16 earthquake-prone communities.

DIPECHO Project Manager Tanja Berretta conducted the programme while Oxfam GB Country Representative Anil Thumbay and Programme Manager (Rural Livelihood and Disaster Risk Reduction) Farid Hasan Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.